>Splashes at Surf and Sand Resort Laguna Beach

I love lunching with my girlfriends, especially on a lazy weekend enjoying brunch sipping on mimosas or bloody Marys and chilling with the sounds of the ocean as a backdrop.

Splashes is the restaurant located at the Surf and Sand Resort and it has the most glorious view from almost every table both inside and out. When I had to organize a brunch for a mini high school reunion, this place immediately came to mind.

I’ve been here before and absolutely fell in love with how beautiful and relaxing it is to look at the waves break against the shore and seeing blue for miles and miles. The beautiful scenery makes it almost impossible to focus on the menu and our server was returning to our table over and over again with the four of us still unable to make up our minds.

beet salad

Finally, with the help of tables around us with wonderful smelling food, we decide to share everything and started with the marinated beet salad ($13) with ricotta salata, candied walnuts, tangerines and a few greens thrown in. Refreshing and earthy, this salad is a must for beet lovers!

Smoked duck salad ($15) was one of the items all four of us agreed upon. Thinly slices of duck, beautifully smoked and tender sits atop a pear and dried fruit chutney amidst frisee lettuce and some slices of toasted baguettes.The saltiness of the duck was perfect with the tartness of the chutney which was infused with ginger.

smoked duck salad

Dungeness crab and apple salad ($16) consists of crabmeat and apples in a curry mayo dressing. The plate has strips of celeriac (celery root) to add a crunchy component to the softness of the crab. I liked the freshness of the seafood but this salad itself was a little on the bland side.

Seared scallops ($22) are absolutely divine here. Perfect sear marks and tender on the inside, these are what makes the tummy happy. Farro risotto, cucumber, ginger and tangerines complete the dish. I love farro and the one here has wonderful texture. I find the overusage of tangerines in the dishes at Splashes slightly irritating. I understand the need to make a plate look pretty by adding colors, but tangerines are not needed here taste-wise.

dungeness crab salad

Grilled hangar steak ($24) is perfect medium rare and the sweet caramelized onions atop the meat are rich in flavor and color. I like the accompanying horseradish sauce and wish they had put more on the plate. Acoutrements included sauteed spinach and roasted potato. Meat lovers will definitely enjoy this tender and very flavorful entree.

Service is attentive even though the restaurant is packed with diners, although if you need more bread and the complimentary sundried tomato spread you will definitely need to speak up. Otherwise, nobody will rush you through your meal, and you are certainly welcome to enjoy your leisurely Sunday brunch at peace and at your own pace. For the four of us who haven’t seen one another in decades, it was very important to have the time and space to do so, and Splashes allowed us to have a wonderful 3 hours reminiscing about the old days while enjoying good food and good views.

Comments

>I wanted my visiting friend from Minnesota to experience a Southern California restaurant with a water view and took her to Splashes the day your review was printed in the Register. My husband pointed out the review just before we left, so I felt very confident in my choice. My husband and I have eaten at Splashes for dinner and lunch several times but haven't been there in several years.My friend and I expected an entree salad when we both ordered the Smoked Duck Salad and were shocked to see it amounted to no more than about four wafer-thin slices of duck, a tiny clump of frisee, and a couple spoonsful of chutney. There was such a miniscule amount of duck–measured in grams–that I couldn't really taste it. I don't care to eat straight chutney, and although it had good, highly gingery flavor, there should have been sufficient other components of the "salad" for it to complement. There were a few slices of teeny tiny bagette on the plate, but not enough for the chutney. We were served a nice amount of bread sticks and sliced bread on the table, so that is what we ate to supplement the meager salad. My friend and I are both small women and it doesn't take a lot of food to satisfy us, but this salad was ridiculous; it was smaller than I would expect from an appetizer portion.The Balboa Bay Club serves large entree salads for $16.50, and Pelican Hill Grill has them for $16, so to charge $15 for a few bites of food is outrageous.

>Dear Anonymous, sorry you didn't have a similar experience to mine. I've been there several times and they have all been good.We ordered 5 dishes among 4 women to share. We ordered 3 salads and 2 entrees and we were stuffed. Again, I'm sorry you did not have a similar experience to mine.

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About Me

This blog is a journal of mostly my eating adventures, but also, other things I'm passionate about, including travel, the arts, and also, necessities to complete my life. Centered predominantly in and around Orange County, CA, some will extend to Los Angeles, San Diego and beyond. I am constantly searching for delicious food to eat and fun things to do, nothing is out of bounds. Sometimes it doesn't end well, but I can definitely say, it will always be an interesting journey.